Court further extends PTI leader’s remand

An accountability court extended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart Aleem Khan’s physical remand for 10 days on Friday. This extension was requested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore.

During the hearing of a case against his assets beyond his known means of income and offshore company, NAB prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua informed the court that the accused did not cooperate with the investigating team and requested an extension to continue the probe. To which, the court replied, “He is not cooperating despite resigning as a senior minister?”

When asked for the investigations done so far, the prosecutor said that the bureau had unearthed connections to seven individuals.

“In 2003, Aleem was an ordinary citizen. In 2007, he became a millionaire with 35 companies and a hundred bank accounts. He was secretary of a housing society in 2000, three years later he was elected member Punjab Assembly. He bought properties in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom and Pakistan. But we cannot find the trail of where the money came from.”

The PTI lieutenant in Punjab was arrested by the anti-graft watchdog on February 6 after he appeared to record statement in cases linked to an offshore company revealed in the Panama Papers leaks and for accumulating assets beyond known means of income.

On February 7, the court sent him on a nine-day physical remand in NAB’s custody.

During the hearing, NAB prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua informed the court that the accused did not cooperate with the investigating team. “He is not cooperating despite resigning as a senior minister?” the court asked.

Janjua also requested an extension in the physical remand to continue the probe.

Briefing the court on the developments, the prosecutor said the bureau had unearthed connections to seven individuals.

Aleem not able to provide money trail: NAB report

“In 2003, Aleem was an ordinary citizen. In 2007, he became a millionaire with 35 companies and a hundred bank accounts. He was secretary of a housing society in 2000, three years later he was elected member Punjab Assembly. He bought properties in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom and Pakistan. But we cannot find the trail of where the money came from.”

The investigative report, compiled by the anti-graft watchdog, noted that Khan had told investigators that his father had received Rs600 million and Rs900 million from abroad but failed to explain as to where did the transactions originate from. It also talked about seven different “suspicious” transactions made into his account.

“A person, named Naeem Asghar, transacted over Rs116 million into Khan’s account in August 2002 while another Rs597 million were remitted into his account from the USA on Nov 27 2004.

Asghar again remitted more than Rs35.4 million into the PTI’s leader account on Oct 14, 2002, from New York while three different transactions were made into his account from the UK, including over Rs2 billion and Rs1.4 billion transacted on Dec 12, 2013, and over Rs1.7 billion on Nov 25, 2004. A person, named Asif Haider, remitted Rs20 million into his account from Dubai on Feb 9, 2005.”

The report also found the former provincial minister failing to provide details of his properties owned in Dubai and the UK

In his response, Aleem’s counsel insisted that the bureau’s claims were entirely baseless. “I can say with confidence that Aleem has submitted every required document including those pertaining to foreign properties,” he added.

Reiterating that that case was based on assumptions, the PTI leader’s counsel said that NAB is lying in court and seems to have forgotten the period from 2007 to 2017. “His name is not in the Panama Papers and he declared all his assets,” he added.

He further requested the court to deny NAB an extension in physical remand and lamented that Aleem was first detained in the case pertaining to an offshore company only to be later accused of assets beyond means of income matter.